


Dustin's Dream Train

by Actual_Dunwich_Horror



Category: Starlight Express - Phillips/Stilgoe/Webber
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, seriously this is a lot of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25883800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actual_Dunwich_Horror/pseuds/Actual_Dunwich_Horror
Summary: Dustin finally gets enough courage to ask Rusty to be his boyfriend.
Relationships: Dustin/Rusty
Kudos: 25





	Dustin's Dream Train

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hello I love these two with my entire heart. They're very soft and Dustin is my favorite character, so I just had to make some Soft Content featuring him!
> 
> This is kind of rushed and not beta'd so I apologize for any mistakes in advance. Without further ado, please enjoy!

Dustin was finally going to do it. He was going to ask Rusty to be his boyfriend.

He had been preparing for a long time to make a move, and while he was still nervous, he was ready. The two of them had grown closer and closer, spending a lot of their free time together whether they were laughing at one of Flat Top’s stories alongside the rest of the freight or stargazing alone at the edge of the yard. Dustin didn’t miss the way that the smaller engine leaned into his side when it was cold outside or how he often laughed a little  _ too  _ much at Dustin’s jokes. It always left the big hopper a blushing mess.

Being around Rusty in general made Dustin feel more confident. It was as if Rusty’s determination and optimism rubbed off on him and made him feel like he could do anything he set his mind to, and that drew Dustin towards the steam engine. It didn’t help that Rusty was charming and handsome in his own special way, with his bright smile and his eyes that shone like stars and his dusty brown hair and… well, Dustin could go on forever. 

So as soon as the freight all arrived back to the yard from their daily run, Dustin set to work making himself look presentable. He dusted off his shoulder boxes and helmet as much as he could, trying his hardest to scrape off the gravel dust without damaging his paint. Once he was done, he rehearsed what he’d say to Rusty in the mirror a few times. He internally patted himself on the back; he only stuttered a little bit.

As he strolled out into the yard, he found Rusty chatting with Pearl while the rest of the coaches were busy watching the Rockies try and do some new rather-complicated tricks that they’d learned.

“Hi Rusty! Hello Pearl!” Dustin greeted as he rolled up to the pair.

“Hi Dustin!” Pearl replied with a wave.

“Dustin! I’m glad you’re here. I was just telling Pearl about that time CB hid Flat Top’s brick from him. You tell that story so much better than I do…” Rusty grabbed onto Dustin’s arm and looked up at him with those gorgeous, deep brown eyes almost pleadingly, and immediately Dustin jumped into telling the story. While it delayed Dustin’s plans, he didn’t mind one bit. 

The way Rusty looked at him while he talked was well worth it.

//

A little later in the evening after dinner, the sun was starting to set. There was still a few hours before the stars came out, and Dustin  _ really _ wanted to stargaze with Rusty that night, especially if everything went according to plan.

The freight was all still sitting together, cackling loudly as they watched CB bicker with Greaseball, but Dustin found himself staring off. Across from him, Rusty was grinning, as bright and beautiful as ever, trying to hold back his laughter. Dustin wanted to be the one causing that smile, seeing it light up on Rusty’s face while they lie together in the grass underneath the stars, the smaller engine tucked into his side and sighing softly as Dustin leaned in closer and--

“Hey, Dustin, are you alright?”

The sound of Rusty’s voice caused Dustin to be jolted out of his daze and he immediately sat up straight. “Hm? Oh I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be?” He stammered a bit nervously.

Rusty fixed him with a worried stare. “Are you sure? You’ve kinda seemed like you’ve had something on your mind all day.” He reached across the table and laid a hand on Dustin’s wrist. The hopper felt his face suddenly grow quite warm. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right Dustin?”

Dustin shrugged and offered Rusty a shy smile. “I know, I know. It’s nothing too big. But um, I was wondering if--”

“ _ This is Control. This is Control. Last-minute freight run. Rusty and freight cars report to the west tracks as soon as possible. _ ”

Of course, if anyone were to interrupt Dustin, it just  _ had  _ to be Control. Oh well. Maybe they’d still have time for stargazing afterwards…

//

By the time they’d returned to the yard, Dustin was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to go to his shed and fall asleep, but he was determined to follow through with his plan. The sun had gone down a few hours ago and the stars were out in full force, lighting up the night sky beautifully. Dustin was thankful for the lack of light pollution; having their yard essentially in the middle of nowhere had its perks from time to time.

Dustin stretched, trying to wake himself up more. After, he turned to go find Rusty, only to find that the steamer was right behind him, causing him to jump in surprise.

“Oh, Rusty! I didn’t see you there!” Dustin laughed anxiously.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you…” Rusty offered Dustin an apologetic smile. “I was just wondering if you wanted to stargaze tonight? It’s a beautiful night, so…” The steam engine shrugged, acting much more shy than usual. 

“I’d love to, Rusty. It really is a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Dustin offered his arm to Rusty, who held onto it as they strolled along the tracks to the grass near the edge of the yard. They remained silent the whole way there, but it was a surprisingly comfortable silence. Dustin had a feeling that Rusty had something on his mind as well, but he didn’t bring it up.

Once they reached their usual spot, on a patch of grass not too far from an old rusted shed, the pair sat down and leaned against each other like usual. Only, the air felt a little different that night, and it made Dustin shiver.

Rusty rested his head against Dustin’s shoulder boxes and sighed. “Can I talk to you about something?”

Dustin internally braced himself. “Of course you can, Rusty. What’s on your mind?”

“Well, it’s…” Rusty huffed and pulled away from Dustin, turning to face him. “Dustin, I… Well. We’re friends, right?”

Dustin furrowed his brow in confusion. “Of course we’re friends. Why wouldn’t we be?”

The steam engine fixed his gaze on the grass around them, not looking up at Dustin. “We’ve been growing a bit closer and I wanted-- I wanted to know if maybe you…”

Suddenly, Rusty reached out and took Dustin’s hand, meeting the hopper’s gaze with his own. “Dustin, would you-- would you be my boyfriend?”

"You-- I--" Dustin sputtered, surprised.  _ He  _ was supposed to be asking that very question to Rusty. His face lit up and his cheeks grew warm, and he nodded. It felt like a dream come true. "I'd love to be your boyfriend Rusty." He smiled bashfully. "In fact, I had planned on asking you the same thing…" 

Rusty grinned and squeezed Dustin's hand. "Well, it looks like I beat you to it."

Dustin laughed as Rusty laid back in the grass, dragging him down with him. The smaller engine tucked himself against Dustin, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.

They laid in the cool grass for quite some time, pointing at the different constellations and coming up with their own. It wasn’t too much different from their usual nights under the stars, but at the same time, it was. Dustin felt like he was on top of the world, like he could stay there under the stars with Rusty forever and not have another worry in the world. It was a good feeling, and he was so, so happy.

“Dustin?”

“Yeah?”

“I…” Rusty stopped. Dustin looked down to find Rusty staring up at him, his wide brown eyes shimmering in the starlight. His lips were slightly parted, and he propped himself up so that he was face to face with Dustin. “Can I…?”

Oh.  _ Oh. _

Dustin nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. Yes, of course.” He replied, a bit breathlessly.

Rusty smiled affectionately at him, then leaned in. Dustin’s eyes fluttered shut as their lips brushed together, his face feeling much warmer than ever before. Rusty’s lips were incredibly soft, and he felt intoxicated. He wanted to keep kissing Rusty forever.

The kiss was short but sweet, leaving Dustin wanting more once they pulled apart. Rusty nervously traced the lines on Dustin’s shoulder box with his finger, and Dustin couldn’t help but notice the steam that began lightly coming from his lips. “How was that?” He asked, rather shy.

Dustin reached out and cupped Rusty’s chin, prompting him to look up at him. “It was brilliant. I’ve… wanted that for a long time now.” Rusty smiled and turned to kiss the palm of Dustin’s hand, causing a bright grin to light up on the hopper’s face.

The pair sat up and readjusted, moving so that Rusty was sat in Dustin’s lap with the freight car’s arms around his waist. Dustin took a deep breath, content. He was comforted by the familiar smell of Rusty, smokey yet sweet, combined with the night’s breeze blowing through the tall grass.

“I’d really like to kiss you again…” Dustin said as he took one of Rusty’s hands and intertwined their fingers. 

Rusty turned to grin at his boyfriend. “I’d really like you to kiss me again.”

As soon as their lips met, Dustin smiled into the kiss. When they parted, he held Rusty close, and admired the starry sky. He felt so incredibly lucky that he managed to find his dream train, especially on such a beautiful night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> Come yell with me about musicals on tumblr @mister-beetlejuice or on twitter @OutFrontInBack!


End file.
